Category Archives: top ten

I began blogging on February 25, 2009. I hope something I shared has helped you along the way. I am not quitting . . . this week . . . I am just reflecting on what topics people are most likely to read. In my checking my statistics and summaries, I learned which posts have the most views.

If you have followed this blog for sometime, you might have seen this back in 2009. I pulled it from the archives and used it as the basis of the lesson Sunday night at Central. Since it was well received, I thought I would share it as a follow-up to yesterday’s post. In true Late Night form; “From the home office in Tuscaloosa, Alabama: here are the top ten reasons to imitate Satan:”

10. Satan does not quit. No matter how many times you turn down his offer, he is not giving up (Luk 4:13).

9. Satan believes in God, heaven, and hell (Jam 2:19).

8. Satan tirelessly works both night and day.

7. Satan knows the Bible (Matt 4:6).

6. Satan is always looking for a prospect, he may well be the worlds best soul winner, just to the wrong side.

5. Satan accepts people quickly, it does not matter to him how good you have been, if you decide to do what is wrong, he will accept you.

4. Satan is positive; he always sees the good in the bad (Isa 5:20).

3. Satan is not easily discouraged (Job 1 & 2); he sticks with his plan.

2. Satan is patient, he will give you opportunity to serve him and leave the offer open for as long as it takes (Luk 4:13).

From the Home Office somewhere off the road between Parrish and Oakman comes today’s list of Ten Things to Teach Your Children. As a parent of a teenager, as a former Youth Minister, as a former assistant Jr. High Basketball coach, and as someone married to an Elementary School teacher, these things come from my experiences – both good and bad . . . We should teach our children:

1. To Love Reading. Teachers may give students the basic tools to read, but if

Andrew (left) on a 5th Grade Field Trip (2007)

parents do not read to children when they are young and model a love of reading, teachers fight an uphill battle. If you do not want your child left behind, teach them to love reading.

2. To Pray. Children should learn early that God cares for them and watches over them. Teach them to spend time telling God about their day and their needs. Give them an example of prayer, let them see you pray and pray with them and for them often.

3. To Be Grateful (Thankful). Ingratitude is a bane of current society. Too many people have a sense of entitlement and are not grateful for what they have. Teach your children to say, “Thank you” to those who provide needs and gifts. This would include God. Demonstrate this thankfulness in your conversations and prayer. Tell your spouse “thank you” for what they do and let your children hear you say that.

4. To Pay Their Way. This is a second anti-entitlement point. Not everything in life is free, nor are you (they) entitled to everything. The wisdom of our Founding Fathers is evident in the statement that we are only entitled to the freedom of the PURSUIT of happiness, not all the things we think will make us happy. (Washington, are you listening?)

5. To Read God’s Word. Our public education system owes its existence to early settlers and colonists wanting their children to learn to read so that they could read the Bible. God’s word is a great guide to life in general and the ONLY guide to life eternal. Read to, with, and in your children’s presence.

6. To Love God. Jesus said this is the greatest commandment. The Israelites were to bind this before their eyes, talk of it on the road, and write it on the door posts. Teach children to know God loves them and how to return that love.

7. To Love Others. Jesus said this is the second greatest commandment. This is really what the “Golden Rule” of treating others the way you want treated is all about. Again it is imperative that we model this love to our children.

8. The Importance of a Committed Marriage. Countless hours of research exists that show the importance of a committed marriage to the well-being of children. This is one point you definitely should exemplify. Let your children see how important your husband or wife (their dad or mom) is to you. In fact, let them know that your relationship with their other parent comes before your relationship with them.

9. To Encourage (Be Complimentary). We live in such a negative world. We need more people like Barnabas (Acts 4 – 5) who will work to encourage others. One way we can help our children be better at encouragement is to encourage them in their pursuits.

10. To be Humble. Children enter this world egocentric. They cry when they have needs – feeding, changing, physical contact, etc. We should meet those needs, but as they mature physically, mentally, and emotionally we should gently guide them to understand that they are NOT the center of the world or even the family. I am not advocating a throw-back to “don’t speak until you are spoken too” mentality of years gone by, but children do need to learn that others are important (see #’s 3, 4, 7, and 9 above). Humility is important to successful marriages, success in all relationships, and in our approach to God.

This week I saw a list of 23 rules of writing posted on Facebook recently. The list, attributed to Frank L. Visco, had the following title: How To Write Good. Here are my ten favorites of this list of 23:

Avoid Alliteration. Always.

Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.

Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.

It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.

The passive voice is to be avoided. (That one is for you Ms. Crumpton – Sr. AP English Comp)

Foreign words and phrases are never apropos.

One-word sentences? Eliminate.

Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.

Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.

Don’t be redundant; don’t use more words than necessary; it is highly superfluous.

After reading this list, I started thinking about a tongue-in-cheek look at living as a Christian. Here is my submission:

Lovingly gossip about others.

My weemee

Learn to be patient with others, NOW!

Make peace by coercing others to agree with you.

Judging me makes you wrong.

It is more blessed for YOU to give.

Consider others before yourself when there is a job to do and you don’t want to do it.

Always tell others when you do something nice for someone else, that way you are shining your light.

Pray so that everyone sees you, and ridicules you, so that you are blessed by persecution.

1. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (Joh 1:14-17)

2. But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” (Act 15:11)

3. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. (Act 20:24)

4. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it– the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. (Rom 3:21-25)

5. But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom 5:15-21)

6. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! (Rom 6:14-15)

7. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. (2Co 4:15)

8. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. (2Co 8:9)

9. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ–by grace you have been saved– and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Eph 2:4-10)

10. You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. (2Ti 2:1-2)

Dear Father, Thank you for the undeserved favor that you offer each of us through the gift of Your Son our Savior, Jesus the Christ. – Amen

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Bible References

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, used by permission, all rights reserved.